Suggestion for a SoHo "server"

[goombawaho]

I know this is not the server forum, but nobody answers questions over there. Looking to replace a PC that is being used to host a shared folder for a home office of 4 people. It's running Windows 10 and has served us well. Looking for any comments or options I may have missed. Would like RAID1. We backup to the cloud.

Options - *My top picks right now
*QNAP NAS - I have experience with them. Lots of functionality. About the same price as a good desktop
*Desktop PC - I did it once and I can do it again. No surprises
Odyssey X86J4105 - disk storage and RAID would seem to be a problem
Intel NUC - Expensive and again disk storage and RAID would seem to be a problem
Actual server - cheap Dell Not that cheap especially with RAID1

 

[LoPath]

If you're just doing file sharing, you can do that with several platforms. A Synology NAS can run that natively - probably similar to your QNAP. But you can also do that if you run a simple Linux server on your old Win10 PC.

LoPath
Maintain HiPath 4000 V5 & V6, OpenScape Xpert V4 & V6, OpenScape Xpressions V7, OpenScape Contact Center V8, OpenScape Voice V9

 

[edfair]

Used Dell workstation with raid under 10.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

raid under 10" Meaning a RAID type less than RAID 10?
We don't to go used. Not THAT cheap of a customer!!

 

[technome]

Dell servers are relatively cheap but not nearly as a decent Dell desktop. For a few user network a full scale server would be nice but not necessary, believe a Win 10 desktop with raid is the best option

You know most of this, this is for other readers...
Most of the Dell products come with the Intel disk interface so a raid 1 is a built in possibility. The faster the machine, the faster the raid 1 will be. The main issue with the Intel Management interface raid is there is no hot spare, speed is decent.
Once you get the new machine setup,you add another drive of the same capacity (hopefully the same exact drive model), go into the Intel management interface, create a raid 1. It takes a while, hour or two. Best to get SSD drives, next best to get "hybrid" drives. With the cost of disk drives so cheap, you would be best off creating a clone, and using something like FreeFileSync to update the clone from the new raid 1 system disk often. Just setup a XPS desktop with raid 1 using Samsung EVO 860 SSD drives, at $139 for a 1 TB drive , not bad. Purchased the SSD drives retail, as Dell prices are a rip off, used the disk drive which came with the machine as the clone.


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"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, 1949

 

[SamBones]

I would say "go with what you know". That's probably fastest path to a solution and you already know it. Just find a desktop or small server that has built in RAID, then just use it the way you have been.

 

[goombawaho]

SamBones - Well, the QNAP NAS has lots of added functionality like sending all kinds of alerts via email, RAID and it has an idrive client (which we use).

technome - I've read that consumer SSDs are not great for servers, though this would NOT be a real server would it.

I could go either way at this point. Thanks for the comments. The NAS is actually cheaper than a lot of nice workstations including the cost of two spinning enterprise class drives.

 

[technome]

The newest Intel Management interface has alerts, and email alerts.

As far as SSD drives, the enterprise grade drives have better error correction but are very expensive to insanely expensive. The consumer grade Samsungs are reliable,good warranty, have some in machines for >5 years, no losses, though I do not have nearly that many in use compared to hard drives. Another draw back of the Intel Interface is there is provision for hot spares, but a raid 1 is inherently reliable as long as dead drives are replaced in a relatively short time.

The last couple server I setup have standard SSDs on hardware raid but I maintain hot spares, just as I do with hard drives. Also, I try to have a couple cold spares in the closets. Personal I do not feel the added expense of enterprise drives are worth it, or to put it another way my clients are not fortune 500 companies with the resources, then I also have some bloody cheap clients.

As to NAS, your speed limitation is your network speed. A machine based raid will be much faster if you have any client/server based software as in SQL, also the NAS I have used (seldom), generally have slower drives.

Anyway this sure beats the early 90s raids...4 megabyte drives, so hot you could cook eggs on them ( we did cook eggs on failed drives), full height, a failure rate which was incredible, weight about 6 lbs, do not remember the price, believe about $400-500/drive, that too was ridiculous for the time.

Good Luck

........................................

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, 1949